church, world and the christian life

How seriously should we take the arguments of the 'after christendom' series? The series' fourth book - Youth work after christendom was published earlier this year. At Regent's we spent Friday with Nigel Pimlott, co-author of Youth work after christendom, as part of a week looking at working with young people. What struck me was how Nigel's presentation was in many ways at odds to the approaches taken by other speakers (all good) from earlier in the week. I found myself asking are those training for baptist ministry being trained for a christendom church or for a church after christendom?

This is an important questiion. As a Mennonite working for the Methodist Church I'm beginning to find myself wrestling with the difficulties of doing mission oriented to a Post-Christendom future whilst working within a framework of an institution with a Christendom grain. Talking to Baptist friends and colleagues I find the same kind of issues emerging. I'm convinced that it isn't only a struggle for a hopeful Post-Christendom future but a search for a usable past - in particular defined by a tension (or conflict) between Puritan and Anabaptist roots.